1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to canteens for dispensing potable liquids, and more particularly to a collapsible canteen which when erected, produces in situ a soft drink or other drink in which powders or crystals are dissolved in water.
2. Status of Prior Art
A canteen in a flask for carrying drinking water or other potable liquids. Canteens are now commonly used by hikers and other travelers to carry potable liquids such as drinking water and fruit juice. Usually a canteen takes the form of a metal or plastic flask having a removable screw-on cap. These are not suitable for preschool or very young children; for in order to drink from a conventional canteen, the child must unscrew the cap, which is usually chained to the flask, and then put the threaded metallic or hand plastic neck of the flask into his mouth. Since the flask is filled with liquid and is fairly heavy, a young child runs the risk of striking and damaging his teeth with the threaded neck of the flask.
While a child can quench his thirst with pure cold water, most children particularly when attending an amusement or theme park such as Disney World, prefer a cold soft drink. The problem a parent often faces in a popular amusement park when accompanying a thirsty child, is that while there are usually cold water fountains available from which the child is free to drink, the cold soft drink the child would prefer is not readily available. Indeed, on a busy day in an amusement park, there are usually long lines extending from the kiosks which sell cold soft drinks. And not only must one wait a fairly long period to obtain a cold soda, but its price is generally quite high, far more so than the going price in a retail supermarket.
It is known to produce a cold soft drink suitable for children by dissolving flavor crystals in cold water, one popular brand of such crystals being the COOL AID brand. These crystals combine a sweetener with a flavoring agent such as a cherry or orange flavor, to produce a low-cost soft drink acceptable for children.
While at home where a glass, and a stirring spoon are available to produce a cold soft drink from flavor crystals, it is not feasible to carry this equipment to an amusement park or other outdoor site to provide children with soft drinks.
My copending application, above-identified, provides a squeeze canteen for producing, in situ, a cold soft drink, and then dispensing the drink, thereby making available to a child in an amusement or theme park, or other outdoor site provided with a cold water supply such as a fountain, an inexpensive, yet satisfying drink.
This canteen includes a collapsible pouch molded to simulate a known character and provided with a female socket forming the mouth of the pouch. Inserted in the socket is a removable male nozzle plug incorporating a normally-closed valve. Deposited in the pouch is a charge of water-soluble flavor crystals. When cold water is poured into the pouch through its mouth, the crystals are then dissolved to produce a soda drink that is then sealed in the pouch by the plug inserted in the socket. To drink from the canteen, the valve is first opened and the pouch is then squeezed to pressurize the soda drink and discharge it from the nozzle plug.